Bare wood on the neck: pros and cons?

[mikeyrsmith]

Does anyone here have a LP where the finish is either worn through--or stripped from--the back of the neck? If so, how do you like it? I'm looking at '70s LP locally where a large portion of the finish is gone from the back of the neck, and the exposed bare wood has darkened slightly with age (it looks like a baseball bat). It felt kinda weird at first when I played it, but I think I could get used to it.

Are there any other issues to be concerned about (other than playability)? The wood rotting or warping for instance? This would be a player for me, so I'd need it to hang in there for the long haul!

 

[Hackubus]

My 79 Custom's neck has worn thru to the bare wood. It starts about the 3rd fret & extends on to the 12th fret area. Bear in mind that it's a maple neck. So far, there's not any problems & I doubt I'll have any. Now if it were a mahogany neck, I'd be more concerned.

 

[PRSKILLER]

I`m fan of naked necks. My McNaught VSC is being made and features an unfinished mahagony neck. My favorite neck is the ZW lester and the neck from the Wolfgang, both unfinished maple.

 

[maidenstrat]

I too like the unfinished necks regardless of the wood, although I do prefer maple and rosewood. I feel they are just easier to play but I am unsure about how sweat will effect the wood over time. By the way PRSKILLER I like the finish of that new guitar of yours be sure to post pics when you get it finished.

 

[mikeyrsmith]

Hey, thanks. Not sure if the neck on the guitar in question is maple or not. It's a '77 Standard, and the neck is definitely 3-piece. Does that help ID it at all?

 

[Hackubus]

I think the timeframe is right for it to possibly be a maple neck, but I don't know for positive. My maple neck is a 3 pc as well.

 

[TonguePirate]

I would think it would depend a lot on the conditions the wood are exposed to on a regular basis. i WOULD THINK that a consitent humidity or lack there of might be really important to the stability & aging quality of the wood.

 

[blauserk]

I have heard that Clapton took the finish of his "fool" SG, and that over time, his sweat basically destroyed the neck. Course, since I "learned" that from the internet, I know nothing.

 

[Dwell]

It's fine on rosewood, and often fine on maple, though you'll probably deal with some fret sprouting in winter at first. I think it's a really bad idea ("don't cross the streams" bad) for mahogany. Mahogany really loves to rot its little pores out. Actually, its big pores.

 

[mikeyrsmith]

Thanks again. If it is mahogany, could just the bare spot be sealed somehow?

 

[Badoogie]

I've got a '95 LP with the finish stripped off the back of the neck, apparently the previous owner did it because the finish was too 'sticky' (although if he'd been patient it would probably have lost that). It feels fantastic :dude and fortunately it hasn't warped or anything, the fingerboard is a different matter though :wha

 

[PRSKILLER]

Hey, thanks. Not sure if the neck on the guitar in question is maple or not. It's a '77 Standard, and the neck is definitely 3-piece. Does that help ID it at all?

Best way to tell is lift the trc.

 

[mikeyrsmith]

Best way to tell is lift the trc.

Thanks. What, exactly, should I be looking for in there? A certain color or kind of grain?

 

[PRSKILLER]

Maple is light in color like cream and mahagony is a dark brown.

 

[michaelmadeja]

My 79 Custom's neck has worn thru to the bare wood. It starts about the 3rd fret & extends on to the 12th fret area. Bear in mind that it's a maple neck. So far, there's not any problems & I doubt I'll have any. Now if it were a mahogany neck, I'd be more concerned.

why do you say that? just curious since

I have a exposed mahog neck .

 

[Hackubus]

Mahogany is a more porous wood I believe, and would need to be sealed. Somebody help me out here, I'm getting in over my head! :bh

 

[Bluesslinger]

Well, for what's it's worth, I used to have a '61 slabboard Strat that was my #1 for 17 years. This guitar had bare wood on the back of it's neck and was very comfortable to play. It also had a big meaty tone to it. The biggest drawback to not having any type of finish on the neckback was it's constant need for lubrication. You could oil the neck on this thing and 2 days later it'd be bone dry. As a result, it was also more succeptible to climatic change and constantly needed adjustment. On the other end of the coin, my '66 J-50 ADJ has missing finish on it's neckback and I don't have that kind of problem. It's been that way for many years and rarely needs adjustment or oiling.

 

[sambencuda]

Mahogany has a very open grain and you can usually feel that in an unfinished mahogany neck. Maple is a tighter grain and feels more smooth to the touch. I'm not sure if mahogany being more of an open grain will cause problems though. Get yourself a small can of tung or gunstock oil and apply it by hand. That should take care of any concerns you might have and it will still feel natural.

Jim

 

[maidenstrat]

What about putting a satin finish on the neck, my taylor that finish and feels almost like the naked wood and is so easy to play.

 

[David A. Venanzi]

I would think that if the guitar has been played for any anount of time with the finish gone there will oils in the pores of the wood and any attempt to put lacquer over top of that will pose problems. Don't know how much wood would have to be sanded off to get to some "virgin" wood so as the lacquer will take and not bubble or flake off. Just my thoughts on the subject.

btlnckdave